Federal
Government 2305--Web

SYLLABUS

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To present the basic concepts of politics that will better enable you, the student, to understand American and Texas government and politics.

2. To motivate you, the student, to take an interest in and understand issues and problems facing the United States, Texas, and Odessa or city which you live in.

3. To stimulate you, the student, to exercise your privileges and obligations as a U.S. citizen, through participation in local, state, and national political activities.

DROP POLICY

You are responsible for dropping this class if you quit doing the work. The instructor will not do so . Failure to drop results in an F.

DISCUSSION GROUPS

We will have several discussion group topics in this course. The discussions are not 'at will' but are considered an integral part of your learning.  The selected topics will be posted online with specific instructions and due date. You will receive a grade for your discussion and responses to the other students' comments. You must participate in all four discussion topics.  At the end of the discussion period, you must post your final "Summary" of the discussion topic on Blackboard.  Click on the "Communication" button and then on the "Discussion Board"  and "Send Files" to post all assignments.  Please see the discussion topics for detailed instructions. To enter into the discussion area you will go to Blackboard. Please follow the instructions as given.  If you have any questions, please contact your instructor.  Your grade will be based on the more detailed SUMMARY you will write on the discussion topic--elaborating on your initial comments and adding your views based on reading the posted comments of fellow students in the class.  

IMPORTANT: Failure to post a comment on the Discussion Board and/or to post at least one response to another student's comments will lead to a loss of a letter grade. 

 

There will be four exams, each worth 100 points. They will consist of two parts: objective, multiple choice, and matching; and essay. Possible essay questions will be provided from each of the units to aid in your study.  Exams 1, 2, 3  and 4 will be taken on-line.  You will have 50 minutes, after logging on, to complete the objective portion.  A 200 point final exam over units 1-10 will be given, composed of all objective questions.   Failure to take the exam on schedule will lead to a zero unless prior approval is given for exceptional circumstances."  It could also lead to the loss of a letter grade. 

 You must schedule the final exam to be taken on the assigned day in either the OC Testing Center or a secure testing facility. Arrangement must be approved by the instructor.

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE A VALID REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM. YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A MAKE-UP FOR AN INVALID REASON.

If you are unable to take a test during the assigned time period, you need to contact the instructor ASAP. Failure to do this will result in a loss of a letter grade on the exam. Otherwise, there are no make-ups. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE IF YOUR REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM IS INVALID AND IF I SUSPECT IT IS, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A MAKE-UP.

Four discussion topics will be posted and mandatory for all students to participate in as part of the discussion grade. Each question will be worth up to 50 (fifty) points.  Discussion topics 1 and 2 will be posted for one week each and those two summaries will be due at midnight on Sunday.  Discussion topics 3 and 4 will be posted for two weeks and your responses are due by 1 pm Friday of the second week.  

Four Internet assignments will be required. Each will be worth a total of 50 (fifty) points. Two of the mandatory Internet assignments are listed: one in Unit 6--on Political Parties- and one in Unit 8--on Congress.  The other two Internet assignments can be selected from any of the other assignments listed under web activities.

Unit objective sheets are included in the lecture notes.  They will serve both as guide to what the instructor considers important from the texts, lecture notes, research, and discussions, and what the student is expected to know at the completion of the unit. They will also serve as a good study guide for the exams because the exam questions will be drawn from these objective sheets.

Additional projects (research papers, book reports, etc.) beyond those assigned are optional. Topics or book must receive instructor approval. A written description must be submitted by the seventh week of class. Projects are due one week before the last scheduled class  A "Project Handout" explaining specific rules to follow and describing how the project will be graded will be posted on line. A project does not and cannot be substituted for a test grade. The project grade will be counted as an additional grade to be averaged in with all other grades.

LECTURE NOTES

Lecture notes for the class, emphasizing the major points of each unit,  are available to supplement the textbook readings.  Simply click on the "Lecture" button. 

Twenty points for a current voters card will be given and added to your total point count before the course grade is averaged.  Copies can be faxed, emailed or mailed to the instructor.

Online exams and papers are basically open book.  However, I would prefer that you attempt to complete them without using the text or lecture notes.  Exam taking should be done alone and not a collaborative effort performed with other students in the class or who have previously taken the class.  Cheating or plagiarism will result in the grade of 0. Remember, on your essays and papers, cite your sources and URL sites.

Politics in America, by Thomas R. Dye, 7th edition, ISBN#: 978-0-13-613220-2

1. National: CNN AllPolitics.Com and The University of Michigan Federal Government Resources and GovSpot.Com

2. State: The University of Michigan Federal Government Resources and GovSpot.Com